Douglas Quan (Canwest News Service) – An Ottawa-based RCMP officer, who was at the centre of a probe into mismanagement of the agency’s pension and insurance funds, is suing the force and several current and former high-ranking members for more than $26 million.
According to a statement of claim filed June 4 in Ontario Superior Court, Staff Sgt. Michael Frizzell was assigned to the probe in 2004 and during the investigation — dubbed “Project Probity” — he and other investigators uncovered millions of dollars that had been diverted from the RCMP’s insurance and pension funds to cover agency expenses.
Yet, when he started to voice concerns about the alleged improprieties, he attracted the “ire and rage” of the force, was threatened and harassed, and ultimately pulled from the investigation, according to the claim.
The lawsuit states that Frizzell — who has been off-duty sick since May 2008 — lost his professional reputation and suffered serious emotional and psychological damage.
“His career with the RCMP is effectively over,” the lawsuit states.
A spokesman at RCMP headquarters in Ottawa said late Wednesday that the agency was not able to comment because of the pending litigation.
In addition to the RCMP, the lawsuit names several other defendants, including former RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli, current Commissioner William Elliott, former deputy commissioner Barbara George, and former Ottawa police chief Vince Bevan. The Ottawa Police Service was also involved in the probe.
The lawsuit states that when Frizzell attempted to bring to light his concerns about the misuse of RCMP pension funds, his “protestations fell on deaf ears.” Instead, he was accused of harassing witnesses and served with a written order in 2005 to stop work on the investigation.
Two years later, a report from government-appointed investigator David Brown found that Frizzell was “pursuing legitimate issues” and called the work-stop order “troubling.”
“He believed so strongly in the integrity of the organization to continue to push when he saw wrongdoing in the organization that he admired his entire life,” the report said. “It is regrettable his commitment to the organization was met with manipulation and false accusations.”
Brown’s report said the force’s management structure was “horribly broken” and called for sweeping changes.
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